While they’re more commonly used as a way for prepubescent boys to leave an imprint of their middle finger behind in novelty stores, those pin art desk toys are occasionally an amusing way to kill a few minutes at work. And when blown up to full-scale, a clever way to advertise your fashion brand.

That’s what Lulu Guinness did with this giant pin art display which encouraged people to ‘Be a Pin Up!’ themselves. If you had a real-life wayback machine you could travel back to last month and experience it for yourself under the St. John’s Gate in Central London, where it was on display as part of Clerkenwell’s Design Week. But now we’re going to assume it’s sitting on top of Lulu Guinness’ equally gigantic desk, next to a monstrous version of Newton’s Cradle which could demolish a building.

[ Fashionista Barbie - Clerkenwell Design Week: Lulu Guinness - Be a Pin Up! ] VIA [ TDW Geeks & Illuminations and Other Stuff ]

You know I’m not entirely sure what this Want/Need Glass available from Alesina Design is supposed to be illustrating. At first I thought it was maybe a commentary on appreciating the fact that we have a readily available supply of fresh drinking water, and that we shouldn’t waste a single drop or be too greedy when filling up a glass. But now I’m thinking it’s just the result of a bet between designers as to who could get $30 for a single glass that already comes with a hole in it. Somewhere someone’s got a smirk on their face a mile wide.

[ Want/Need Glass ] VIA [ HolyCool.net ]

It’s not the first Nutmobile that Planters, and presumably their CEO Mr. Peanut, have commissioned, but the company’s latest promotional tool will certainly be one of the greenest and gaudiest creations rolling about the country this year. Built on a 2011 Isuzu NPR box truck, with the box bit swapped for a giant fiberglass peanut reinforced with a steel frame, the new Nutmobile can hold up to 3 passengers plus Mr. Peanut himself should he need to make a public appearance. (I hear he’s actually a bit of a recluse though, and is rumored to have a cannibalistic addiction to peanuts.)

And while it doesn’t appear to be in competition with the Volt or anything, the new Nutmobile is a shining example of promotional eco-friendliness. The engine runs on a mix of biodiesel and regular diesel, the windshield is made from 100% recycled glass, the interior features wood flooring reclaimed from an 1840’s barn and the vehicle’s batteries are charged with a combination of solar panels and a wind turbine built into the roof of the cab. And I’m just going to assume/hope that like Powell Motor’s disastrous ‘The Homer’ the new Nutmobile is also equipped with rack and peanut steering.

[ The New York Times - A Green Makeover for Planters Nutmobile ] VIA [ Autoblog ]

I’m sure we’ve all seen the plethora of accessories made from stripped circuit boards, including everything from Christmas tree ornaments to clipboards, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone attempt to make a pen from one, and I can understand why. You see companies like Montblanc, and even BIC, spend a lot of time perfecting the ergonomics of their writing instruments so they feel comfortable in your hand.

But I’m afraid ‘comfort’ isn’t the first term that pops to mind when I look at this pen entombed in a circuit board coffin. Sure it’s interesting to look at, made from recycled materials and will never roll off your desk, but those things won’t make it comfortable to use for anything longer than signing your name. $4.99 from Perpetual Kid.

[ Recycled Motherboard Pen ]

Oh Fred! Besides brightening my occasional trips to hipster-mecca Urban Outfitters and providing perfect gift ideas for people I don’t really care about, you also occasionally come up with something that even I wouldn’t mind using. «REW not only cleans up those dangling headphone cables by spooling them inside a snap-shut case, but it’s got a retro cassette-tape design that lets everyone know you’ll always have a soft spot for your first Walkman, even if you’ve long since sold your soul to Apple.

[ Fred - «REW ]

Software developer Magnificent Library is attempting to market Firepower as an augmented reality app, but we think given its intrinsically useless nature, it deserves a whole new software category: Augmented Stupidity. Congrats!

Firepower is $1 in the App Store. See a video of Firepower in action below.

Download Link [iTunes]

See Also:

• Augment Your Reality With Layar for iPhone
• Yelp Sneaks Augmented Reality Into iPhone App
• If You’re Not Seeing Data, You’re Not Seeing
• How it Works: Augmented Reality

As much as they give me the heebie jeebies, I definitely admire the creativity of Soomi Park, the funky eyelash creator. The LED eyelashes are rigged to turn on when the wearer tilts their head a certain way. Eye phobia aside, these would be an awesome addition to a Holloween costume or we might be looking at the eyewear of the future.

Via Craziest Gadgets

I can understand that artificial lighting in a pumpkin is a lot safer than a burning candle, particularly if kids are involved, but the smell of scorched pumpkin lid is something that always kindles fond memories of my childhood. But if you prefer to play it safe, these remote control pumpkin lights from Williams Sonoma won’t torch your carved creations, and don’t even require you to go outside to turn them on.

Each light is powered by 3xAAA batteries which is good for about 100 hours of use, and the wireless remote allows you to turn them on and off, switch between steady and flickering light and adjust the brightness, all from a distance of about 20 feet away. A set of 2 with a remote will set you back $19.95, which isn’t too bad, even if they get destroyed when the neighborhood kids smash your pumpkin.

[ Pumpkin Lights with Remote Control ] VIA [ GadgetGrid ]

While it appears to be designed for having some seasonal Hallowe’en fun, ThinkGeek’s new EvilTron actually improves upon their original Annoy-A-Tron in many ways. Firstly, it’s smaller, only about as big as a quarter, and that in conjunction with a Rare-Earth magnet embedded in the back makes it even easier to hide. And secondly, instead of making random beeping noises the EvilTron plays 5 different eery sounds including “Something unsettling creaking, Unidentifiable scratching sounds, Gasping last breath, Sinister child laughing and Eerie whispering of ‘hey, can you hear me?’”

It’s powered by an included single cell type battery which is good for over a month of use, and at just $9.99 it won’t be that upsetting when your co-workers eventually find it and smash it to pieces.

[ The ThinkGeek EvilTron ]